Category Archives: History

History, Security

History at LSE ranked #1

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I was just informed that my Alma Mater, the International History department at LSE, has been ranked #1 in the 2011 Complete University Guide.

It was given an overall score of 100 out of 100 possible points. Congrats LSE. Go Beavers!

Oxford was second with a score of 99.8. Hard to understand how Durham ended in third with higher graduate prospects and student satisfaction compared to Oxford, but perhaps research assessment and entry standards have more weight?

LSE was an excellent experience for me, as I studied international security during the Cold War in Asia, Africa and Europe. My thesis was on defense ethics strategy, (dis)information warfare, and long-term global security impact from military occupation of the Horn of Africa:

Anglo-Ethiopian Relations 1940-1943: British military intervention and the return to power of Emperor Haile Selassie

When asked about my transition from a history background to information security, I highlight two key points:

  1. Taxonomy of Authority: At its core, security is about tracking and analyzing events – who did what, where, and when. This mirrors the historical method of studying and interpreting past events. As a historian, I analyzed written accounts to construct coherent narratives. In security, I apply the same analytical skills to computer logs and digital data. Both fields require critical thinking to assess risks based on past vulnerabilities and threats. It’s no coincidence that many security professionals, especially in the military, have a keen interest in history.
  2. Case Study: Ethiopia 1940 and British invasion/occupation offers valuable lessons for modern complex security challenges. This mission aimed to establish stability while respecting Ethiopia’s sovereignty — a delicate balance given Britain’s imperial past and substantially weakened future. The outcomes of this intervention provide insights relevant to recent Western operations in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. The post-WWII Western policy in the Horn of Africa ultimately failed to ensure regional security. Instead, it precipitated revolution, invited territorial war (with Somalia) and fueled an anti-American military party (the Derg) rise to power. The resulting instability and reduced Western influence continue to create security challenges today, such as piracy and terrorist safe havens. This historical case study demonstrates how understanding past events can inform current security strategies and risk assessments. It illustrates the transferable skills between historical analysis and information security: the ability to analyze complex situations, identify patterns, and draw actionable insights from past events.

In essence, my background in international history at LSE honed my skills in event analysis and reporting — capabilities fundamental to information security and risk management, which form the bedrock of computer security.

Food, History, Security

The Helpful Appendix

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LiveScience has a new perspective on the appendix: Useful and in Fact Promising.

Darwin was also not aware that appendicitis, or a potentially deadly inflammation of the appendix, is not due to a faulty appendix, but rather to cultural changes associated with industrialized society and improved sanitation, [William Parker, an immunologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.] said.

“Those changes left our immune systems with too little work and too much time their hands – a recipe for trouble,” he said. “Darwin had no way of knowing that the function of the appendix could be rendered obsolete by cultural changes that included widespread use of sewer systems and clean drinking water.”

Now that scientists are uncovering the normal function of the appendix, Parker notes a critical question to ask is whether anything can be done to prevent appendicitis. He suggests it might be possible to devise ways to incite our immune systems today in much the same manner that they were challenged back in the Stone Age.

“If modern medicine could figure out a way to do that, we would see far fewer cases of allergies, autoimmune disease, and appendicitis,” Parker said.

So the lowly appendix actually served a security role, making us less vulnerable, which was made redundant by a decline in threats to our health.

Energy, Food, History, Security

American Water Safety History

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Every so often I am reminded about the need for safe water. A site called GOOD has put forth a list of disasters related to water in American history. They start with the latest one, a tragic story that has directly impacted the health of soldiers at home:

For years, U.S. health officials have claimed that although the drinking water at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune is contaminated, it poses no danger to Marines or their families. This April, the government reversed itself, saying that its assessment of the water contained “omissions” and “inaccuracies,” and adding that a million people over the course of three decades may have been exposed to the carcinogen benzene in their water. Fifteen hundred former Lejeune Marines, some of whom are now afflicted with rare lymphomas, have filed lawsuits seeking more than $33 billion. Sadly, Lejeune is just one of the many recent poisoned-water cover-ups in American history. There are others going on all the time. Here are some more of the worst.

A phrase like “some of the worst” is a research cop-out. Inquiring minds want to know what are the worst? Where is the baseline for “worst”. Number of people affected? Area? Length of time? Where is the comprehensive list of disasters? I don’t ask just to be facetious but also because I think it will help put cybersecurity in perspective, especially with regard to SCADA systems.